Marking-machine.



No-847,646. v PATENTED MAR.19,1907{ J. n. CALDWELL.

MARKING MACHINE. I APILIOATION FILED MAR; 23 1906.

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No ."g47,646; PATENTED MAR. 19. 1907.

J. D. GALDWBLL. MARKING MACHINE.

APLPLIOA'IION FILED MAR. 23.1906.

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MARKING Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 23,

ratenteoi Maren 19, 1907. 1906. Serial No. 307,699.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN D. CALDWELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Seattle, in the county of King and State of Washington, have invented a new and useful Marking-Machine, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to stamping or marking machines, and has for its object to provide an improved machine of this character for marking or stamping letters, figures, and other characters upon cloth, paper, and other materialsuch, for instance, as checksand is particularly designed for use in marking laundry-work.

This device is designed not only to print, but also to cause the type to cut into or through the material so as to prevent alteration without detection, whereby the device is particularly useful in marking drafts, checks, sheets of abstracts, and other papers requiring certainty of identification.

It is proposed to have the type carried by adjustable segments and to provide for the convenient setting of the segments to bring any desired type into printing or marking position and to insure the rigid holding of the segments when set.

It is also designed to positively effect inking of only such type as are set in printing posit-ion and to automatically move the inking mechanism into and out of engagement with the type by the manipulation of the device to produce an impression upon the work.

A further object of the invention is to assemble the device upon an upright frame, so as to support the type in an elevated position to enable the handling of the machine by the operator while standing in order that the manipulation of the machine maybe effected by foot-power.

With these and other objects in view the present invention consists in the combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in .the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details may be made within the scope of the claims without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a front elevation of a marking-machine embodying the features of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof with the type segments and the inking-reservoir in section. Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the upper portion of the machine. Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the upper portion of the machine with the lower portion of the front face-plate removed. Fig. 5 is a plan section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 2 with the type-segments omitted. Fig. 6 is a detail perspective view of the inking device detached. Fig. '7 is a detail perspective view of the platen.

Like characters of reference designate cordrawings.

As hereinbefore indicated, it is proposed to support the machine in an upright position, wherefore there is provided an upright frame or stand including three standards, (designated 1, 2, and 3,) which'are disposed to form a tripod and have their lower portions inclined or flared outwardly and terminate in vertically-disposed foot portions. The upper ends of the standards are connected by a triangular cross-head 4, and about midway of their ends they are connected by braces 5 and 6, so as to produce a rigid frame structure.

A substantially horizontal bracket 7 extends forwardly from the cross-head 4 and carries an upright rigid back plate 8, which projects above and below the bracket. A hanger 9 depends from the cross-head 4 about centrally of the leg-standards and has its lower end provided with an openended bearing 10, rotatably supporting the rear end of a rock-bar 11., which also pierces the back plate 8 and extends a suitable distance in front of the latter. Spaced a suitable distance in front of the back plate 8 there is a face-plate 12, which is also pierced by the rock-bar 11, and between these two plates there is a series of type-segments 13, each of which is provided upon its lower convexed edge with a series of type, as shown at 14 in Fig; 4. Asleeve 15 loosely embraces the rockbar 11 and pierces the plates 8 and 12, to which it is fixed in any suitable manner, the type-segments being hung loose upon the sleeve, which latter forms a bearingfor the segments. Each segment has an upstand ing shank portion 16, the several shanks proresponding parts in all of the figures of the gressing in length from the front to the rear of the series, and the outer end of each shank carries a handle 17, normally disposed in a substantially horizontal position and hinged to the shank, as at 18, there being a spring 19 exerting an upward pressure upon the handle. Each handle works in an arcuate slot 20, cut in the face-plate 12 and struck from the rock-bar 11 as a center, wherebythe handle is accessible at the front of the machine. Each handle is furthermore provided with a \Ishaped rib or tooth 21 upon its upper side to engage any one of a series of notches 22 in the upper wall of the adjacent slot, so as to lock the handle and the segment in any set position.

By reference to Fig. 4 of the drawings it will be noted that the space between the back and face plates 8 and 12, around the lower edges of the segments, is closed by a pair of side members 23, each of which is in the nature of a bowed plate having its upper end pivotally connected between the back and face plates, as shown at 24, the free ends of the side plates being separated by an intervening space of a width to give access to the type which are in alinement with this space. By preference the hinge 24 is provided with a spring, so as to yieldably maintain the side member closed, whereby it may be turned outwardly, as indicated by the dotted position, so as to give access to all of the type for cleaning the same.

Below the type-segments there is a vertically-movable platen 25. provided with a substantially horizontal arm 26, extending rearwardly to an upstanding bracket including a web 27, lying between the standards 2 and 3 and provided with upper and lower cross-heads 28 and 29, terminating in eyes 30 and 31, slidably embracing the standards, whereby the platen is mounted to work vertically upon the frame and is normally supported at its lower limit by the braces 5 and 6. The upper end of the platen is disposed in a substantially horizontal position and is provided with a seat 32 for the reception of a pad 33, which may be a block of wood, rubher, or any suitable yieldable material, so as to prevent injury to the type when the platen is lifted into engagement therewith.

For manipulating theplaten there is a foot lever or treadle 34, fulcrumed, as at 35, upon a bracket 36, which connects the lower end portions of the standards. A connecting-rod 37 rises from the rear end of the treadle and has its upper end pivotally connected, as at 38, to a heel portion 39, extending rearwardly from the bracket member 27 of the platen, whereby the latter may be conveniently raised and lowered by manipulation of the treadle. It will here be expl ained that the Work to be stamped or marked is placed across the top of the platen and held thereon while the platen is being elevated under the influence of the foot-lever, whereby the work may be elevated into contact with such type as are exposed through the opening 40 (shown in Fig. 4) in the bottom of the case which incloses the type-segments.

It will now be understood that it is proposed to have the operator stand in front of the machine and manipulate the platen by the foot-lever, whereby his hands are free for handling the work to place the same upon and remove it from the platen, whereby the machine may be very quickly manipulated, and its capacity is limited only by the abilit of theoperator.

For the purpose of inking the type there is an ink-reservoir 41, having a iillingopening normally closed by a closure-plug 42 and also provided with an ink-pad 43, which is exposed through the open top of the reservoir and designed to be brought into engagement with the type which are exposed through the opening in the bottom of the case. The ink reservoir has a lateral extension or support 44, which is provided with trunnions 45, pivotally mounted in front and rear arms 16 and 47, hung from and rigidly connected to the rockbar 11, suitable set-screws 48 being employed to hold the arms upon the rock-bar. Upon the rear portion of the extension 44 of the ink-reservoir there is an. upstanding tappet 49, disposed for engagement by a cam 50, carried by the forward end of a rock-bin 51, which is journaled in a bracket 52, carried by the standard 2, and in another bracket 53, carried by the standard 1. Another cam 54 is carried by the middle portion of the b: 51 Disposed in parallelism with the standard 2 and at the outer side thereof there is an upright slide 55, which is connected to the extensions of the upper and lower cross-heads 28 and 29 of the platen, as shown at 56 and 57, so as to work vertically therewith, the upper end of the slide working through a guide 58, carried by the cross-head 4. A gravity-dog 59 is pivoted, as at 60, upon the side and normally rests in a sulzstantially horizontal position upon a stop pin or shoulder 61, carried by the slide, the inner free end of the dog being beveled 11])011 its 1' nder side and disposed to engage the cam 54 in the 1pward movement of the slide so as to impart a rocking movement to the lfttl 51, whereby the terminal cam 50 of said bar wipes across the tappet-arm 49 of the ink-reservoir and swings the latter upon the arms 46 and 47, so as to bring the pad 43 into contact with the type. After the dog 59 escapes from the cam 54 a rigid cam portion 62 upon the slide wipes past a tappet crank-arm 63, carried by the rock-bar 11, whereby the latter will be turned and the arms 46 and 47 ill be swung to carry the ink-reservoir to one side of the opening 40 in the bottom of the case in lOC : able stop-pin or shoulder 66 is carried by the back plate 8, so as to limit the movement of of the arm 47 under the influence of the spring 65.

For the purpose of returning the rock-bar 51 to its normal position after it has been turned by the operation of the dog 59 upon the cam 54 a weighted arm 67 is provided upon the rock-bar, so as to swing the same back to its normal position, said bar being disposed to normally rest upon the stop 61 as 'a support, so as to prevent overturning of the bar.

When marking-machlnes are to be used for marking laundry, indelible ink is employed, and such ink is quite fluid as compared with ordinary printing-ink. It is also a comparatively quick-drying ink, and it is therefore necessary to keep the inking-pad constantly wet with ink. Heretofore this has been done by carrying the pad by means of a more or less complicated mechanism to an ink-supply source at frequent intervals. By my invention the means for maintaining the ink-pad in Wet condition is much simplifled and all the complicated devices avoided.

It will be observed that the ink-reservoir 41 is provided with a pervious ink-pad 43 and that in the operation of the machine this ink-reservoir, when moved away from'a position of alinement with the type, isswung by the arms 46 47 up to one side of the typecase, and the ink-reservoir support 44 is so proportioned that the end supporting the ink-reservoir 41 will cause the support to move around the trunnions as soon as the tappet-arni 49 has escaped from the cam 50, so that the reservoir-support 44 assumes a substantially vertical position with the res ervoir at the lowermost end. This will bring the ink-pad in a substantially horizon tal position, so that ink in the reservoir will seep through the same to the surface, and the latter will therefore be freshly inked at each withdrawal of the ink-pad from the type. This is an important feature of my invention, since the inking is accomplished simply by the overbalancing of the ink-well support and he presentation of the ink thereby to the back of the pad, thus eliminating all the usual mechanism. for carrying the ink-pad to a source of ink-supply. Another important feature of my invention lies in the fact that the ink-pad when moved against the type travels in a plane substantially at right angles to the face of the type, thus avoiding any wiping action which would occur should the line of travel of the ink-pad toward the type be at an appreciable angle less than. that of a rightangle to the face of the type. This is particularly true when fluid inks, such as are used in. marking linen or other laundry, are employed. I accomplish this by the structure which I have heretofore described for operating the inking mechanism. It will be observed that the ink-pad is carried to a position immediately below the type to be inked by the return swing of the arms 46 47. After having reached this position the cam 50 engages the arm 49 and swings the sup ort 44 on the trunnions 45 to bring the in -pad 43 into contact with the type, the movements of the several parts being so timed that the swing ing motion of the ink-reservoir around the axis 11 has ceased before the pad is moved toward the type. The movement of the pad toward the type around he trunnions 45 need be very small, so that the are described by the pad is very short, and for all practical purposes the movement of the pad toward the type may be considered as in a plane substantially at right angles to the face of the type. Any wiping action which theoretically might be present is practically infinitesimal, and there is therefore no accumulation of ink on one side of the type, as occurs, especially with fluid inks, when the pad approaches the type at an appreciable angle less than a right angle to the face of the type. i

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed is 1. A marking-machine comprising a printing member, a platen cooperating therewith, and a pivotally-mounted overbalanced inkreservoir having an inking-pad communieating therewith, said reservoir being movable by gravity to car se the ink in the reservoir to flow toward the surface of the pad when the latter is moved away from inking position. 1

2. A marking-machine comprising a printing member, a platen cooperating therewith, an ink-reservoir mounted to swing into and out of operative relation with the printing member and provided with an ink-pad commt nicating with the ink-supply in the reservoir said reservoir being overbalanced to move by gravity to a position to cause the ink to flow to the inking-surface of the inkpad, and means for moving the reservoir to a position to cause the ink in the reservoir to flow away from the surface of the ink-pad IIO an ink-reservoir carrying an ink-pad comcombination of a printing member, a platen movable toward and away from the printing member, an inking device normally interposed between the platen and the printing member, a swinging arm pivotally supporting the inking device, a tappet carried by the inking device, and a slide controlled by the movement of the platen and provided with means to first tilt the inking device upon its supporting-arm into engagement with the printing member, and then to swing the arm and move the inking device out of the path of the platen.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination of a printing member, 'a platen working toward and away from the printing member, an inking device normally interposed between the platen and the printing member, a swinging arm pivotally supporting the inking device, a tappet carried by the inking device, a rock-shaft to which the swinging arm is fixed, a tappet-arm upon the rock-shaft, a rock-bar having a cam for engagement with the tappet of the inking device and also provided with another cam, and a slide. controlled by the movement of the platen and provided with means for en gagement with' said other cam of the rockbar to turn the latter and tilt the inking de vice into engagement with the printing member, the slide also being provided with means for engagement with the tappet of the shaft to turn the latter and swing its arm to move the inking device out of the path of the platen.

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of a typesegment shiftable upon its center, a platen movable toward and away from the type-segment, a rock-shaft centrally piercing the segment, an arm carried by the rock-shaft, an inking device pivotally supported upon the arm and normally interposed between the platen and the segment, a tappet carried by the inking device, a rock-bar having a cam for engagement with the tappet, aslide controlled by the movement of the platen, spaced trips carried by the slide, a cam carried by the rock-bar for engagement by one of the trips, and a tappet-arm carried by the rock-shaft for engagement by the other trip after the actuation, of the rock-bar,

7. In; a device of the class described, the combination with an upright frame, of a substantially horizontal rock-shaft, an arm rigidly hung from the rock-shaft, a type-segment adjustably pivoted upon the rock-shat t, an inking device carried by the arm and. extending across the peripheral portion of the typesegment, a platen located below and working toward and away from the type-segment, a substantially horizontal rock-bar located beneath the rock-shaft, a tappet upon the inking device, a cam upon the rock-bar in cooperative relation with the tappet, averticallymovable slide actuated by the movement 01 the platen, upper and lower trips upon the slide, a cam upon the rock-bar and located. in the path of the lower trip, and a tappet-arm upon the rock-shaft located in the path of the upper trip for engagement thereby after the actuation of the rock-bar.

8. In a device of the class described, the

combination of an upright frame, a printing member carried thereby, a platen located below the printing member and provided with guides slidably engaging the frame, a footlever 'fulcrumed upon the frame and connected to the platen for elevating the same, a substantially horizontal rock shaft mounted upon the frame, an arm rigidly hung from the rock-shaft, an inking device carried by the arm in cooperative relation with the printing member, a tappet-arm carried by the rock-shaft, and a vertically-movable slide connected to the platen. and provided with a trip to engage the tappet-arm and swing the inking device out of the path of the platen.

9. In a device of the class described, the combination of a frame, a substantially horizontal rock-shaft carried by the frame, a tappet-arm on thed'ock-shaft, a substantially horizontal bracket carried by the frame, a back plate supported by the bracket and pierced by the rock-shaft, a sleeve rigidly carried by the back plate and embracing the rock-shaft, a front plate carried by the sleeve, a series of type-segments rotatably supported upon the sleeve and housed betweenv the front and back plates, an arm rigidly hung from the rock-shaft, a projection carried by one of the plates to limit the swinging movement of the arm in one direction, an inking device carried by the army in cooperative relation with. the lower edges of the typeseg ments, a platen working vertically upon the rock-shaft, and a slide controlled by the platen and provided with a trip for engagement with the tappet-arm on the rock-shaft to swing the inking device out oi" the path of the platen.

10. In a device of the class described, the combination with a frame, of a printing 1n ember, a rock-shaft having a crank-arm, an inking device pivotally carried by the arm, a tappet carried by the inking device, a rockbar, a tappet-engaging cam carried by the rock-bar, a platen working toward and away from the printing member, a slide controlled In testimony that I claim the foregoing as by the movement of the platen, another cam my oWn I have hereto aflixed my signature 1o ulpon the rook-bar, a pivotatlll dog?l oalrried by in the presence of two Witnesses.

t 1e slides or engagement Wit sai ot1er cam,

a tappet-arm provided upon the rook-shaft, I JOHN CALDWELL and a trip upon the slide for engagement with Witnesses:

the rock-shaft tappet-arm after the dog trips l ALFRED E. PORTER,

past the rock-bar cam. J. ALEXANDER WARFIELD. 

